"I'm extremely excited to bring a championship to the state of Minnesota and to the great fan base of the Vikings," Zimmer said in a video posted on the team's Twitter account. "I can't wait to get to work."

The Vikings had Zimmer into their facility in Eden Prairie, Minn., for a second interview on Tuesday. For the past week, he had been considered the favorite for the job, and as expected, landed it after Tennessee (Ken Whisenhunt) and Detroit (Jim Caldwell) made their hires.

Zimmer, 57, has waited long for this opportunity after spending two decades as a NFL assistant, also working for the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons. He replaces Leslie Frazier, who was fired after three and a half seasons on Dec. 30.

The Vikings had to go defensive again after Frazier as they fell from wild-card status in 2013. They ranked last in the NFL (No. 32) in scoring defense, last in passing defense and 31st in total defense (yardage allowed). Under Zimmer, the Bengals remained a dominant force, ranking No. 6 in scoring defense and No. 5 in total defense this past season. They were No. 6 and No. 4 in 2009, No. 12 and No. 7 in 2011 and No. 8 and 6 in 2012.

There is good talent on that side of the ball to create a quick turnaround, but the pass rush (where defensive end Jared Allen is a free agent) and secondary need the most addressing. Zimmer is hard nosed, but has the soft touch needed to relate well with his players.

Zimmer's deparature means the Bengals lost both of Marvin Lewis' strong coordinators to head-coaching jobs. Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden was hired by the Washington Redskins.